Lithuania and Poland bans pork imports from Belarus

Lithuania has imposed a temporary ban on imports of pork and animal feeds from Belarus in response to the discovery of a case of African swine fever in the Hrodna region.

On June 21, the Belarusian State Veterinary Center said that a hog in a village in the Iwye district had been found to have succumbed to the disease. The hog belonged to a village resident.

Veterinary experts have linked the case to contaminated feeds imported from an unnamed country.

Russia, Ukraine and Poland have also banned imports of pork from Belarus.

Russia and Ukraine introduced a temporary ban on pork imports from Belarus last week, shortly after a case of African swine fever was registered in the country. Poland has become a third neighboring country to ban imports of pork and live hogs from Belarus, the Rosbalt news agency reported on Wednesday.

Poland`s veterinary authorities have also banned people traveling from Belarus to bring any meat foodstuffs across the border, said Rosbalt.

Latvia`s veterinary service has called for caution over the discovery of the disease in Belarus but stopped short of introducing any import bans so far.